luke haymes is set to make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday against the New York Islanders, after a Tuesday recall and a brief return to the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday. The 22-year-old center is stepping in as the Maple Leafs adjust their lineup with several young players in the mix and four games left in the season.
Maple Leafs prepare Luke Haymes for first NHL game
Haymes was recalled on an emergency basis and took part in practice before heading back to the Marlies for their school-day game against the Utica Comets, which Toronto won in overtime. He is expected to enter the lineup in place of Bo Groulx, who is being sent back down to the AHL so he does not have to go through waivers ahead of the Marlies’ playoff run later this month.
The move gives the Maple Leafs another look at a prospect who has handled a full season of professional hockey well. In 64 games with the Marlies, luke haymes has 17 goals and 32 points, while spending most of the year as a center in the middle six. He also adjusted quickly after leaving Dartmouth College last spring, and his contract with Toronto is in the first year of a two-year deal signed just over a year ago.
What Craig Berube and teammates said
Craig Berube was direct about what he has seen from luke haymes in practice. “He’s got skill. He seems like an intelligent player to me, ” Berube said Tuesday after Haymes’ first practice with the club. Berube added that he has not watched him a ton in the AHL, but has seen him get better, noting that he plays in all situations and has “a pretty good mind for the game. ”
Jacob Quillan, who spent much of the season alongside Haymes in the Marlies lineup, pointed to his speed and shot. “He’s a really good player, ” Quillan said after Toronto’s 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. “A lot of speed. He’s having a lot of success with the Marlies, and he can shoot the puck. ” Bo Groulx also praised him, calling him “a really smart player” and saying he is strong on faceoffs and has started scoring more over the past two months.
Lineup shifts and what comes next
Thursday’s game may bring more than one first for the Maple Leafs. Artur Akhtyamov is set to start against the Islanders, which would be his first start at the NHL level, while William Villeneuve has also been recalled after Brandon Carlo left with a lower-body injury against the Capitals. It is not yet known whether Villeneuve will make his NHL debut alongside luke haymes.
The Maple Leafs are clearly using this stretch to give younger players a look, and Berube said there is value in that approach. “I always think there’s value in getting young guys a game or two, ” he said Tuesday. “I don’t think it hurts; it gets them a taste of the NHL. ” For luke haymes, Thursday now stands as the next step in a season that has moved quickly from the AHL to the biggest stage in Toronto.
